Italian Research in Antarctica: Professor Alessandro Capra in the Spanish Antarctic Campaign 2025–26
A new and significant chapter in international scientific cooperation is being added to the long history of Italian research in Antarctica. Professor Alessandro Capra is set to depart to participate in the Spanish Antarctic Campaign (CAE) 2025–26, at the invitation of Spanish colleagues, within the framework of the ATMESHET project, dedicated to the study of crustal deformation and volcanic monitoring in the Antarctic Peninsula region.
The mission will be conducted aboard the Spanish Navy’s oceanographic vessel BIO Hespérides and will involve the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, departing from Punta Arenas in Chilean Tierra del Fuego. The period at sea is scheduled from 12 January to 4 February 2026.
The main objective of the ATMESHET project is to measure crustal deformation and monitor volcanic activity in the area, with particular attention to the Deception Island volcano, one of the most active and extensively studied volcanic systems in Antarctica.
Scientific activities will include the installation of four multiparametric stations and six GPS stations, aimed at continuing geodetic, geophysical, oceanographic and thermometric measurements. These observations, initiated in the second half of the 1990s, are now being enhanced through the use of state-of-the-art instruments and sensors, integrated to improve the quality and reliability of the data collected.
“I am very proud of the invitation from colleagues of the Spanish Committee,” says Professor Alessandro Capra of Unimore, “as it will allow me to share the expertise gained over more than thirty years of activity within the National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA), where I am currently responsible for the Italian Geodetic Observatory in Antarctica (IGOA). At the same time, I cannot hide my immense personal excitement: this will be my first time in the Antarctic Peninsula region, after taking part in seven previous expeditions in the Ross Sea, at Mario Zucchelli Station, and on the Antarctic Plateau, at the Italian–French Dome C base.”
Professor Alessandro Capra’s participation in the CAE 2025–26 represents further recognition of the Italian scientific contribution to polar research and strengthens the role of international cooperation in the study of geodynamic and climatic processes in one of the most sensitive regions on the planet.
Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng
Articolo pubblicato da: Ufficio Stampa Unimore - ufficiostampa@unimore.it il 14/01/2026